Apple has announced its smallest ever desktop computer and it's so tiny it fits in the palm of your hand.
The new Mac mini measures just five-by-five-inches which, Apple says, is "less than half the size of the previous design." It's powered by the brand's latest silicon in two options, M4 and M4 Pro, a generational jump from the M2 and M2 Pro chips found in the most recent Mac mini models before these. According to Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, the new Mac mini "delivers gigantic performance in an unbelievably small design," with an announcement from the brand including a comparison between the new M4 and M1 model from 2020 – the first Mac mini with Apple Silicon – claiming the new Mac mini has "1.8x faster CPU performance and 2.2x faster GPU performance over the M1 model."
In terms of specifications, both of the new Mac mini models come with 16GB of RAM as standard. This doubling of RAM versus previous generation models is something we've seen from Apple recently, such as in the new iPad mini, and it's safe to assume that this is being done to ensure the devices can run Apple Intelligence smoothly. The Mac mini with M4 packs a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, while the M4 Pro model's GPU can be configured up to 20 cores; its CPU can be configured up to 14 cores in total, with 10 of these dedicated to performance and four for efficiency.
Apple has also introduced hardware-accelerated ray tracing in the Mac mini for the first time, making either of the new Mac mini models a great option for gaming, and it has updated the connectivity options available on the device. One of these updates is the addition of a headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones on the front of the unit, with the implication being that Apple believes the Mac mini should appeal to music producers who may be using more powerful set ups like the Mac Studio. There is a total of five USB-C ports with three on the back and two on the front, but Apple has removed USB-A entirely from the Mac mini – if you're still living in the 2010s, keep a dongle close by. Other ports include Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI, with the M4 Mac mini able to support two 6K and one 5K displays, and the M4 Pro able to support three 6K displays.
The new Mac mini features a wide array of ports to drive any setup. It includes front-facing ports for more convenient access, including two USB-C ports that support USB 3, and an audio jack with support for . On the back, Mac mini with M4 includes three Thunderbolt 4 ports, while Mac mini with M4 Pro features three Thunderbolt 5 ports. Mac mini comes standard with Gigabit Ethernet, configurable up to 10Gb Ethernet for faster networking speeds, and an HDMI port for easy connection to a TV or HDMI display without an adapter. With M4, Mac mini can support up to two 6K displays and up to one 5K display, and with M4 Pro, it can support up to three 6K displays at 60Hz for a total of over 60 million pixels.
You can pre-order the new Mac mini now through Apple with prices starting at $599 USD.
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